March 19, 2026, 4:58 p.m. CT
Here’s some depth at defensive end. On Thursday, the New Orleans Saints announced that Chris Rumph II has re-signed for another bid at a roster spot, where he’ll be pushing guys like Fadil Diggs and Myles Cole (the former Jacksonville Jaguars draft pick who signed in January) for the opportunity to back up Chase Young and Carl Granderson. Expect the Saints to add more players to the rotation either in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft or the free agency market. Cameron Jordan is still waiting for a satisfying offer to land on his desk.
Rumph, 27, was one of Brandon Staley’s former players with the Los Angeles Chargers who followed the coach to New Orleans last offseason. His experience in Staley’s system gave him a leg up on other guys competing for a place on the 53-man roster, and he chipped in with a couple of sacks, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. His 47 combined tackles (24 solo) and 330 snaps played on defense were both career-highs.
Last season, the Saints primarily had Rumph rush the quarterback off the right side of the formation (on 37 of his 42 pass rushes after Young debuted in Week 6), spelling Young, while Granderson and Jordan mostly worked on the left side. But he had nearly as many snaps in run defense as Jordan did once each of the top four players were available (120 vs. 146), with Young and Granderson remaining on the field most often on early downs. Rumph may need to prove he can make a bigger impact on all three downs if he’s going to make the team again in 2026.
